Dumping-car-door spreader.



R. V. SAGE.

DUMPING CAR DOOR SPREADER'.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNI: 7, 1913.

1,077,562, Patented NOVA, 1913 1N VEN TOR.

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RALPH V. SAGE, 0F WESTMONT BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Pete nt.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

Application filed Jurre 7, 1913. Serial No. 772,234.

To all ifo/0m t may concern.:

Be it known that I, RALPH V. Seen', a citizen of the United States, residiing` in the borough of llvlestmont, in the count-y of Cambria and Siate of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improve-- ments in I)nmping-CanDOor Spreadcrs; and I do hereby declare the following; to he a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Will enable others siiilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in railway ear construction and more especially to the door operating mechanism tlierei'or.

The object of my invention is to a onewpiece cast metal spreader-har Yor connectingr a plurality of alineci swinging doors which will have `great strength and rigidity. as compared to the amount of mater'al used in the construction of the saine.

My invention is particularly adapted for use with hopper bottom cars. either et the hopper type, or hopper bottom gondola type, in which the doors extend heiow the center sills of the car on each side thereof, and are connected together in sets by nir-,ans of a spreaderbar, the ends of which bear against, and are secured to, a door at either side of the center sills. The central portion of the 'oar p es under the center sills of the car and is prcridcd with means for the attachment thereto of the door operating mechanism, f

The car doors are usually provided with flanges extending around the outer edges thereof, in which case, it is preferable to arch or forni thc har with an oil'set at this central Apoi-tiem so the flanges of the doors may remain Whole.7 and not cui. away, thoreby preserving their strength and stiffness.

Heretofore spreader-bars have been constructed either of a sheet of metal pressed into the required lorrn, or of rolled oars cut into lengths with their central portions struck or bent up, so as to clear the flanged edges of the doors. These kinds of spreaderbars have not been Jfound to he altogether satisfactory, either on account of not being suiiiciently rigid and liable to become twisted` or from not havingr the proper atn taching and bracing facilities for the door. and `my invention is designed to ohvial'e these difficulties.

l construct my staender-bar of casi metal of substantially Lshape in cross section, the

iProvide central portion et' ihe bar being arched 0r oiiset to mss or clear the ilanf of each door and is formed. oi' the iish-l iiied type, that is, of greater depth at its center and tapering gradually toward each end. The end ilanges ot nay nshaped @realer/#har are preferably attached io the outer Murtaces of the doors near the einer edges thereof. lnegral stiilening blankets project` rearwardly from the har toward the heinz, edges of the doors and are also secured inrete, the whole thus forming a rigid e.' tion hetvreen the door and. the hr bracing; the door and distortion of the im 'lo ioar, I cast, inieggial with mediate points, vertical rn ii extend ontvardly from the ccniral r portion thereof` and which ribs also connect the top and bottom flanges together. .i the central part of the har is formed an integral thickening provided with a cyliinlrical opening wherein an eye holt may he secured, tothe eye of which a link ol' the door operating mechanism is pivoted. This construction of a spreader-har oi' cast metal in accordance with niy invention @nah-los ine to distribute the metal to the liest possible advantages 'to moet the sii-es ,c 'lo which it is subjected in use, and the har is of ample strength and rigidity and one which can be quickly attached to the doors, 'flic integral bracket ilange connection near the inner edge of' each door forms a reint'ircement at vwhat would otherwise he the weakest point of attachment, and also braces the door, while lche central cylindrical opening provides an easy means of attaching:l the connection to the door operating mechanism.

Having thus given a general description of my invention, I will new, in order to make the saine more clear, refer to the accompanying one sheet of drawings forming part of this specification, in Windy- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevation on an enlarged scale, taken on the line I--I of Fig. 2, through he lower hopper portion of a car showing the hinged doors in closed position, and a spreader-bar in section attached to the forward edge of each, and enough of the adjoining car strncture toillnstrate the ,application 0i" my m' vcniionf Fig. 2 is a vertical iransvrrse sec tional elevation taken on the iine ll--l of Fig. '1, showing the lower portion of al car, the happens extending downwardlyon either invii stitlcn the r at interside of the center, and a pair of swinging doors adapted to close the bottom thereof, and my improved spreader-bar connecting and supy orting the doors. Fig. 3 is a detached top plan View of my improved spreader-bar; Fig. 4 is a side elevation thereof; and Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the. same.

Referring now to the numerals on the drawings :---1 indicates the center sills of the car and 2 the plate sides thereof. Hopper sheets 3 are attached to and extend downwardly below the bottom edges of' the car sides and the center sills of the car, and the doors 4 are hinged at 5 to the bottom. edges of the inclined hopper sheets and form the closures for the same.

As illustrated in the drawings, two hoppers are shown, each having a pair of swinging doors, and the doors of each hopper are connected by my improved spreaderbar 6, although it will be understood that the hoppers may be differently disposed, either transversely or longitudinally of the car, without departing from the spirit of my invention. This spreader-bar 6 is substantially I-shaped in cross section throughout a greater portion of its length, but the outer flanges of the ends of the bar are tapered toward each end, as shown, in order to economize material and disposeit rto best advantage.

My improved spreader-bar is of greatest depth at its center, and is there arched or offset as at 7, and gradually decreases in depth toward each end. The web and top and bottom flanges of the bar are connected together on each side of the web by vertical stifl'ening ribs 8 at intermediate points along the bar. At, or near, the center, the bar is formed with an integral cylindrical thickening, as at 9, with outwardly extending vertical stitfening ribs 10. A hole 1l extends through this cylindrical central portion 9 in which'an eye bolt 12 is mounted.

The upper or Contact surfaces 13 of the ends of the spreader-bar are straight, or in a plane, and are perforated, as shown at 14, to form the riveting surfaces for attaching it to the car doors on the outside thereof,

- while the outer sides of the end portions of vthe bar are inclined. Reinforcing brackets 15, provided with riveting surfaces, extend from one side of the bar 1n the same plane as the upper surfaces 13, and are similarly perforated as shown at 1G. These brackets lrextend rearwardly and are attached to theidoors near the inner side edges thereof, and by this construction the door is braced both longitudinally and transversely. The hole through the central cylindrical portion of the har aflords means for attaching the eye bolt 12 to which is pivoted a link 17 of the door operating mechanism.

The spreader-bar is so constructed as t0 to be limited to the exact details of construc-v tion shown, but may use such substitutions, modifications or equivalents thereof, as are embraced within the scope of my invention, or as pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 2- 1. In a dumping car, a pair of hinged doors thereon, a cast spreader-bar substantially I-shaped in cross section, secured to, and connecting said pair of doors, the web of said I-shaped bar being provided at interrals with ribs formed integral therewith.

2. In a dumping car, a plurality of hinged doors thereon, a cast spreader-bar substantially I-shaped in cross section, secured to and connecting said hinged doors, saidconnecting the web and flanges ofthe I-shaped bar, said bar having an arched or ofset central portion and tapering end portions.

4. In a dumping oar, a plurality of hinged doors thereon, a spreader-bar substantially I-shaped in cross section, integral rib connections between the web and flanges of the I-shaped bar, said spreader-bar having an offset central portion and tapering end portions, the upper faces of said tapering cud portions being flat and in a plane and connected to said doors. 5. In a dumping cai', a plurality of alined hinged doors thereon, a spreader-bar sub stantially I-shaped in cross section` integral transverse ribs connecting the web and [langes of the I-shaped bar, 4said I- shaped bar having an offset central portion and tapering end portions, the upper faces of said tapering end ortions being plane and straight, perforatiuns in the said straight faces of the end portions and a perforated integral bracket extending laterally froin said end portions, whereby said bar is connected to said doors.

6. In a dumping car, a plurality of alined hinged doors thereon, a spreader-bar substantially I-shaped in cross section, secured to, and connecting said hinged doors, transverse ribs connecting the web and Bauges of the I-shaped bar, said bar having an oil"- set central portion and tapering end portions, the end portions of the flanges of said I-shaped bar decreasing in Width toward their extremities.

7. In a dumping car, a plurality of alned hinged doors thereon, a spreader-bar substantially I-shaped in cross sect-ion integral flanges extending from the edges of the web of said I-sliaped bar, integral transverse ribs connecting the web and flanges at intervals, said bar having an offset central portion and tapering end port-ions, the upper faces of the tapering end portions being plane and perforated, a perforated integral bracket extending laterally from each of said end portions, and means for securing the spreader-bar to said doors through the said perforations.

8. In a dumping car, a plurality of alined hinged doors thereon, a spreaderv bar substantially' I-sliaped in cross section, transverse ribs connecting the web and flanges at intervals, the central portion of the bar being provided with an integral perforated enlargement, said bar having an ollset een tral portion and tapering end portions, the upper faces of the tapering end portions being plane, perforatioiis in the plane faces of the end portions, and a perforated bracket extending laterally from each of said end portions, its upper face being in the same plane therewith, and ineans for connecting said bar to the doors through said perforations.

9. A. one-piece cast spreader-bar of approximately I section, With tapering ends, flanges extending laterally in a plane from the said end ortions, brackets forming extensions of said flanges, the central portion of said bar being offset and provided with means for attachment to the operating mechanism.

In testimony whereof, I hereto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

RALPH V. SAGE.

Vitnesses:

ELMER SEAVEY, E. M. DAWSON. 

